Horse Stories, and Stories of Other Animals

by Thomas Wallace Knox

Feline peculiarities were discussed at the conclusion of the foregoing story. Some one told about a cat in Missouri, which had four kittens, and one day she went into the woods and brought in two young rabbits, which she added to her family. She licked and caressed the little rabbits, just as she did her own kittens, and the new comers got along with the others on perfectly friendly terms.

Then somebody else told about four young foxes in Indiana that have been adopted by a cat. She seems to manifest as much maternal solicitude and motherly fondness for them as though they were her own. The foxes have accepted the situation in a spirit of meekness, and are seemingly satisfied. This was followed by a story of a cat whose kittens had been drowned; she found three young squirrels that she adopted and tenderly nursed.

“That is not so strange,” said Mr. Graham, “as the performance of a French cat, which I read about in the Revue Scientifique. One day the cat came into the house, having in its mouth a sparrow, caught in the neighboring garden. Scarcely had puss entered the room when she let the bird free, evidently for the purpose of playing with it, as is the custom of cats with mice before devouring them. The sparrow, having one of its wings injured, could not escape by flying, but boldly began to attack its huge enemy by fierce blows on the nose with its beak. The cat seemed astonished at the attack, and beat a retreat. From that moment the two seemed to forget their natural instincts and came to a mutual understanding. The truce continued and gradually grew to a fraternal friendship. They ate, played and slept together. Often they ran about the house, the sparrow perched on the cat's back, and sometimes carried gently in the cat's mouth, from which it was released on the first wish to be free. When feeding together, puss never touched a morsel till her friend had first partaken.”

“I read not long ago,” said Charley, “a story about a friendship between a cat and a rat. It was signed C. A. B., and appeared in Our Animal Friends. Here it is:

“'My cousin was much plagued by rats; they were so troublesome that every method was used to exterminate them. One day the cook thought she would try to scald them, and, watching her opportunity, threw a pail of boiling water, which covered the back of one, taking the hair and a portion of the skin off,—but he was enabled to reach his hiding place. Some days afterward a rat was seen eating from the same dish with the cat, having no hair on its back and appearing quite feeble. The cook called the attention of her mistress to the fact, and told the story of her throwing the scalding water some days before, and that the rats had ceased to be troublesome since.

“'Time rolled on, and it became quite an amusement to the family to watch for the coming of the rat, and the eating of its regular meals with the cat, and the little gambols indulged in together after eating.

“'In the course of the summer the family went on a visit, and closed their house for a few months, but made provision for the favorite cat, that she should stay with a relative in the same town.

“'Upon their return in the fall they called upon their relative for the cat, as the house was much infested with rats, and learned from them, that soon after they had left, an ugly-looking rat, without any hair on its back, made its appearance and used to eat with the cat, till one day one of the family killed it. Since that time they couldn't get the cat to eat anything, and she would not stop in the house, but had gone to a neighbor's. They caught her several times and brought her back, but she wouldn't remain with them.

“'My cousin, after hearing the particulars, became much interested, and chided herself for her thoughtlessness in not letting her relative know the curious story of the rat while making provision for the care of her cat. She went to the neighbor, but the cat would take no notice of her. She persevered and took the cat to her old home, but the cat wouldn't stay—off she would run to the neighbor she had selected as her friend. They got the daintiest food they could select, they coaxed and petted her, kept the door closed, and did everything they could to win back her confidence; but she wouldn't eat or taste a thing in the house, and they finally gave up in despair and allowed her to have her own way.